Title says it all. I do not have time to dig through all the information looking for a site that offers good "starter" kits and such. What sites do you recommend for someone in her position. Thank you, JVW
My wife is wanting to start proper tea and coffee.
- Thread starter John Von Wuggz
- Start date
wish I could help, but here is a bump in the hopes that the right person will be around.
-jim
-jim
I think we need more information. What does you wife mean when she says proper coffee? I assume that to mean gourmet coffee/ freshly roasted coffee. In other words not the low grade coffee that comes from cans sold at the supermarket.
How much coffee does she intend to drink a day? That factor makes a world of difference in what method/ machine is recommended.
How much coffee does she intend to drink a day? That factor makes a world of difference in what method/ machine is recommended.
You've just referenced two entirely unique rabbit holes of information. I'm guessing that you just want to get her started.
For proper tea, you can do it the easy way with something like the Bodum Yo Yo tea infuser kit, and a starter set from a source like Adagio.com or J.A.S. e-Tea (jas-etea.com - also a vendor here).
For proper coffee, you can do it the easy way with a Bodum or Frieling (or even OXO) french press, and a capable grinder. I would budget at minimum $100 for a grinder (if electric) and $40 (if manual). Look for a refurbished unit from Baratza for electric, and look for a Hario Mini-Mill if manual. Fresh coffee can be found from a number of sources, including myself (another vendor here), or in AZ, assuming in the Phoenix area, you have a few options, and I would recommend Cartel Coffee Labs. They'll give you good advice and great coffee if you wonder into one of their shops and simply ask like you did here.
I hope that helps get you off to a start! If this is to be continued, this forum is more than happy to help spend your money to keep the CAD/TAD journey flowing.
For proper tea, you can do it the easy way with something like the Bodum Yo Yo tea infuser kit, and a starter set from a source like Adagio.com or J.A.S. e-Tea (jas-etea.com - also a vendor here).
For proper coffee, you can do it the easy way with a Bodum or Frieling (or even OXO) french press, and a capable grinder. I would budget at minimum $100 for a grinder (if electric) and $40 (if manual). Look for a refurbished unit from Baratza for electric, and look for a Hario Mini-Mill if manual. Fresh coffee can be found from a number of sources, including myself (another vendor here), or in AZ, assuming in the Phoenix area, you have a few options, and I would recommend Cartel Coffee Labs. They'll give you good advice and great coffee if you wonder into one of their shops and simply ask like you did here.
I hope that helps get you off to a start! If this is to be continued, this forum is more than happy to help spend your money to keep the CAD/TAD journey flowing.
John, there are far more experienced people around here than me, but I have a variety of coffee brewing methods at my disposal that I would be willing to recommend. In order of my preferences:
1) Clever Coffee Dripper - A quick, clean cup with minimal mess to clean up
2) Aerobie Aeropress - I don't care what the box says, it's NOT espresso, but it IS a deliciously concentrated cup of coffee. Some options for experimentation are out there as well as some hardware choices (stainless vs paper filters)
3) My Pressi Twist - This IS espresso. Takes a bit of practice and precision, but the process is made easier with an electric grinder. Gotta watch for temp swings that can result in sink shots. But when it's good, it's REALLY good. Find one of the newer models, or an old model that's been refurbished with factory mods.
4)French press - Used to like this... but... meh
Like Jasonian said, it really all starts with the grinder and FRESH, quality coffee. If you get it of a shelf in a supermarket, just assume that it's stale. If it comes with flavor oils, assume it's not specialty. If you need any help, just ask. There are no dumb questions when it comes to coffee. There are some dumb answers.... and dumb purchases.... but that's for another post.
I leave you with the most caffeinated smilies at our disposal.
1) Clever Coffee Dripper - A quick, clean cup with minimal mess to clean up
2) Aerobie Aeropress - I don't care what the box says, it's NOT espresso, but it IS a deliciously concentrated cup of coffee. Some options for experimentation are out there as well as some hardware choices (stainless vs paper filters)
3) My Pressi Twist - This IS espresso. Takes a bit of practice and precision, but the process is made easier with an electric grinder. Gotta watch for temp swings that can result in sink shots. But when it's good, it's REALLY good. Find one of the newer models, or an old model that's been refurbished with factory mods.
4)French press - Used to like this... but... meh
Like Jasonian said, it really all starts with the grinder and FRESH, quality coffee. If you get it of a shelf in a supermarket, just assume that it's stale. If it comes with flavor oils, assume it's not specialty. If you need any help, just ask. There are no dumb questions when it comes to coffee. There are some dumb answers.... and dumb purchases.... but that's for another post.
I leave you with the most caffeinated smilies at our disposal.
This is not the most well formed answer, but it part of it depends on what your wife means by "proper". Whether that is something that tastes great, is traditional in preparation or presentation, or follows what would be considered the social norm by people in her community? As tea and coffee have traditionally been prepared in different ways in different places, so in that sense there is no one proper method.
For the best tasting coffee, the most important step is to find some freshly roasted coffee and grind the beans at home just before brewing. The brewing method chosen will affect taste but it is secondary in comparison to the coffee bean used. She may want to start out with a french press and some type of pour-over to see if she likes filtered or unfiltered coffee the best. But really the choice is more based on what you and her are interested in; whether that is percolator, moka pot, french press, etc., as all these methods can work well with a little patience to experiment. I would only give a recommendation against using the type of auto-drip machines that is typically found in a BedBath&Beyond or Walmart type of store, as the brewing result will not be as good.
For tea, the simple recommendation is to get a sampler from JASeTea as mentioned before, getting some samples of pu-erh, oolong, green, white/yellow and see what she likes. There are other places online to order from as well, but Steve has some good information on his site to help get started and gives good service. If it seems a little overwhelming at first to try all the different varieties, then just start with a couple of them. Then again she may think of English breakfast tea as proper tea, so getting some of that as well as some black tea from India/Ceylon could be what she has in mind before trying these other styles from the likes of JASeTea.
For the best tasting coffee, the most important step is to find some freshly roasted coffee and grind the beans at home just before brewing. The brewing method chosen will affect taste but it is secondary in comparison to the coffee bean used. She may want to start out with a french press and some type of pour-over to see if she likes filtered or unfiltered coffee the best. But really the choice is more based on what you and her are interested in; whether that is percolator, moka pot, french press, etc., as all these methods can work well with a little patience to experiment. I would only give a recommendation against using the type of auto-drip machines that is typically found in a BedBath&Beyond or Walmart type of store, as the brewing result will not be as good.
For tea, the simple recommendation is to get a sampler from JASeTea as mentioned before, getting some samples of pu-erh, oolong, green, white/yellow and see what she likes. There are other places online to order from as well, but Steve has some good information on his site to help get started and gives good service. If it seems a little overwhelming at first to try all the different varieties, then just start with a couple of them. Then again she may think of English breakfast tea as proper tea, so getting some of that as well as some black tea from India/Ceylon could be what she has in mind before trying these other styles from the likes of JASeTea.
Of course, ingredients matter the most in this game.
For tea, I have a Bodum pot and a double wall glasses. Some of the teas take more time and patience than others and it's good to have a timer and a thermometer. Just don't get scammed with the hardware, there are some people who try to make thermometers like the most complex piece of harware out there and ask too much.
For coffee, I've tried quite a few options regarding hardware, but I've settled on an Aeropress. Simple to use, easy to maintain and still makes good coffee. Price isn't bad either.
As for tea and coffee varieties themselves, there's just too much stuff out there to mention, but I'll try to give few tips like this:
Morning: Mature Pu'erh tea or pure 100% arabica
Day: Green tea with jasmine or 50/50 arabica/robusta (somehow I've found blends are easier on the stomach)
Evening: Silver needle tea or ... I don't really recommend coffee in the evening
For tea, I have a Bodum pot and a double wall glasses. Some of the teas take more time and patience than others and it's good to have a timer and a thermometer. Just don't get scammed with the hardware, there are some people who try to make thermometers like the most complex piece of harware out there and ask too much.
For coffee, I've tried quite a few options regarding hardware, but I've settled on an Aeropress. Simple to use, easy to maintain and still makes good coffee. Price isn't bad either.
As for tea and coffee varieties themselves, there's just too much stuff out there to mention, but I'll try to give few tips like this:
Morning: Mature Pu'erh tea or pure 100% arabica
Day: Green tea with jasmine or 50/50 arabica/robusta (somehow I've found blends are easier on the stomach)
Evening: Silver needle tea or ... I don't really recommend coffee in the evening
Before I put any effort into answering, I need the title explained to me. It's confusing. And there is tons of information already here in this forum.
